The Full Scope of SCCA on Display This Weekend in Daytona
Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing has its fingerprints all over this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway.
More than 100 corner workers will oversee the 12-turn, 3.56-mile course at the “World Center of Racing,” a group organized by the Central Florida Region SCCA. Those workers will have an up-close view of the 25 drivers with ties to the SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® competing in the famed twice-around-the-clock race, with 24 National Championships and many other podium finishes spread out amongst those racers.
Three of those drivers are competing in the wide-open Daytona Prototype class of the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Graham Rahal is a grizzled veteran today at 23 years of age, but in 2005 he became the youngest driver to ever win an SCCA National Championship at 16 years, 242 days, driving a Formula Atlantic® machine. Rahal will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, looking for his second-consecutive race win.
Terry Borcheller missed out on a National Championship in his lone Runoffs appearance, but was a part of the 2010 24-hour race winning Action Express team. Borcheller also won the historic race in 2004.
Their competition will include a three-time SCCA National Champion in Elliott Forbes-Robinson. “EFR” is one of the veteran drivers sharing a BMW-powered Riley with AC/DC front man Brian Johnson.
The competitive GT class boasts nine drivers with SCCA National Championships and another eight with at least one visit to the Runoffs podium.
A number of drivers can claim multiple SCCA titles on their racing resume.
Only four drivers have ever won more than the seven titles that John Fergus can claim. Driving the Dick Greer Racing Porsche GT3 this weekend, Fergus is the defending Sports 2000 National Champion.
Randy Pobst has two titles in Club Racing, but those came after two previous titles in SCCA Tire Rack Solo® National Championships. Pobst is searching for his third class win at the 24-hour race, driving the Acumen Motorsport Porsche GT3.
Boris Said and Scott Sharp are both three-time SCCA National Champions, with Said set to pilot a Turner Motorsports BMW M3 and Sharp in the Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458. Scott Rettich is a two-time defending National Champ in Formula Enterprises and is driving an Alliance Autosport Porsche GT3 this weekend.
Eric Curran (1999 American Sedan), Doug Peterson (2004 Formula Mazda), Mark Hotchkis (2005 F Production), and Anthony Lazzaro (1993 Formula F) all captured SCCA National Championships and are entered in this weekend’s race.
Andy Lally, Guy Cosmo, Cooper MacNeil, Tom Long, John Finger, Dick Greer, and Owen Trinkler are former podium finishers at the Runoffs; Jack Baldwin, Claudio Burtin, David Murry, Wayne Nonnamaker, Bryce Miller, and Frank Del Vecchio all also have ties to SCCA’s crowning race.
Beyond the Runoffs participants, many other drivers spent time at local SCCA Club Racing events at one time in their career, proving once again that SCCA continues to be a critical part in an aspiring racer’s career path.
More information on all the SCCA, its racing programs, and volunteer opportunities are available at www.scca.com.
The 50th Rolex 24 At Daytona can be seen on SPEED this weekend.